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OPINION

Dobson: Community gives second chances

Two recent developments in this city show signs that our community is willing to give second chances. Some people have long been labeled or ignored, with stigmas we’ve attached to them for bad decisions they’ve made in life or for the place they now find themselves in because of circumstances.

I’m referring to the almost celebratory aura that is surrounding the progress that an army of volunteers, elected officials and behind-the-scenes supporters are offering in advance of the opening of a new campus to house and treat the homeless in this community. I’m also referring to last week’s endorsement by three of the five city commissioners to a plan forwarded by City Manager Anita Favors Thompson to remove a question on city applications that asks about a person’s criminal history.

Since I covered the “ban the box” issue in my role as a reporter, I’m not endorsing or rejecting the action that I find to be largely symbolic. But it is viewed with great passion by those who see this as a major step forward for those who were once incarcerated to return to mainstream society.

But more importantly, I find it interesting that both actions show this community is willing to move beyond labels and stigmas and to find solutions for those willing to take a step forward in their lives.

Anyone who has been in Tallahassee for some time knows past sentiments about the city’s growing homeless population and why it’s been allowed to proliferate. And while a team of dedicated individuals worked behind the scenes decades ago to address this as a human rights issue, many others simply ignored it.

But through the commitment of many, something very tangible is being built where the homeless simply won’t be warehoused across town and away from The Shelter’s very visible downtown location, but where millions of dollars are being spent to address their needs with the goal of helping them to reclaim their lives.

The steps to this progress haven’t been without stumbles and we won’t know if this giant investment of resources will make a difference until years down the road, but we can applaud those elected officials, the United Way and this community for making the Comprehensive Emergency Services Center a reality. Let’s also applaud those 175 volunteers who were up before daybreak, ready to volunteer in the annual face-to-face count of the homeless.

People like Lachell Myers-Harding, a Florida A&M University student who, in summing up her experience to Democrat staff writer TaMaryn Waters, said, “To see people who looked just like me but are experiencing life totally different than the one I’m living, it was a real eye-opener.”

I doubt if such strong sentiments were voiced following Wednesday evening’s City Commission meeting when commissioners gave their input on a decision to removing a question about a person’s criminal history from city job applications.

It was determined at the previous meeting that the measure, strongly endorsed by Mayor Andrew Gillum and previously suggested by former Mayor John Marks, was not going to be a simple consent item. Since it was an administrative choice by Favors, commissioners really didn’t need to vote. But Favors Thompson brought it before the board for review.

It turned into a passionate discussion of government policy and already-established guidelines of what can and cannot be considered when interviewing candidates for jobs, as well as one on fairness, on economic opportunities and removing what many feel is an obstacle in their path to a new life.

The truth is that people with criminal histories already work for the city. And removing the question on applications won’t preclude the city from continuing its practice of conducting criminal history checks on all potential employees before they are offered the job. Some won’t get the job they’ve applied for because of that history.

But justified or not, granting what some perceive as any concession to someone who has spent time behind bars is not likely to go down without a fight.

The other elephant in the room was race, a factor that Commissioner Curtis Richardson brought up during the spirited discussion.

“I think there is a perception that this only impacts African-Americans and that’s what I want to dispel,” Richardson said, before supporting the measure, along with City Commissioner Nancy Miller and Gillum.

In the end, both measures, addressing the homeless and removing the box, are promoted as gestures toward breaking down barriers to those who need a second chance.

Some labels, we know, are more difficult to erase than others.

Have a comment? You can reach associate editor Byron Dobson at 850-599-2258 or at bdobson@tallahassee.com., or friend him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter at @byrondobson.